Investigation into body search on lawyer in prison

* Photo: MA

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Lawyer Ekin Yeter, who went to the Van High-Security Closed Prison on April 30 to meet her clients, was subjected to body search.

As reported by Mezopotamya Agency (MA), lawyer Ekin Yeter applied to the Presidency's Communication Center (CİMER) in response to this. The prosecutor's office of the prison has launched an investigation upon this application. In her statement, Yeter has filed a criminal complaint against the wardens who did the body search (lit. 'fine search' in Turkish).

The lawyer recounts the incident as follows:

"The regulations say that 'if the x-ray gives a signal while the lawyer is passing through, he or she is subjected to pat-down search.' But it does not say that the clothes are taken off and looked underneath.

"I did not accept the practice and had a dispute with the personnel. The wardens acting in violation of the regulations lifted my undershirt and looked underneath my underwear. I did not further the debate; I said that I had to meet my client urgently. Affected by this incident, I was unable to speak to my client for 10 minutes.

"The arbitrary interpretation of the regulations in prisons leads to several violations of rights. What I went through was this. This arbitrary and humiliating maltreatment and practices must be ended immediately." (KÖ/SD)